Idlib Is the Last Straw In The War For Power

The fate of Syria lies in what happens to Idlib province in the next couple of weeks. And the three major nations that have been playing an important role in that country’s civil war are all determined to find a way out to avoid a humanitarian disaster.

It is confirmed that Turkey, Iran, and Russia are planning to meet on a three-way summit that is being held as a precursor to the Astana process, initially set up to resolve the Syrian civil war.

The Idlib province is the last in the rebel-held stronghold. While all the three protagonists continue to vie for their own share of power, Syria has been torn apart. The recent incidents of air-strikes and bombing in Idlib have to lead to many civilians losing their lives and become one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises that have been severely criticized by the UN as well.

Instances of air-strikes came after a cease-fire had been restored. Official estimates by the UN state that the enclave was home to an estimated 3 million inhabitants who have been forced to flee toward the nearby Turkish border.

Turkey has already given out a cry of help to the EU nations for humanitarian aid to home the ever-increasing number of Syrian refugees. Turkish President Recap Tayyip Erdogan has recently released an official statement that he is now going to start sending Syrian refugees into European countries if the aid did not come as promised.

This is one reason that Erdogan is keen to greet Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. From Russia, Erdogan is expecting some kind of respite to solve the humanitarian crises at hand. From Iran, Erdogan rather has a promise of no other hasty steps, owing to its horrible relations with the US and its withdrawal from the nuclear treaty. Anything adverse done by Iran could throw the already volatile situation in Syria, into another uncontrollable spin.

Back in Idlib, the air-strikes led to rebel forces rise to the moment and react at the Turkish and Russian forces as well as attack Iran backed Assad forces. Now, all the three nations see the lack of peace in Idlib province as a huge deterrent to the peacebuilding efforts.